


I Can Feel It Comin' Back Again

by White_Phoenix (Motevia)



Series: An Ineffible Love [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Aziraphale (Good Omens), Blood and Injury, Childbirth, Crowley Hates the 14th Century (Good Omens), Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Female-Presenting Aziraphale (Good Omens), Healing, Male-Presenting Crowley (Good Omens), Minor Character Death, Nurse Aziraphale, Other, Plague, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Song fic, complicated childbirth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 07:10:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23007697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Motevia/pseuds/White_Phoenix
Summary: It's the 14th century and the Black Plague has hit Europe. Can Crowley and Aziraphale find some of Her grace amongst all this devastation? Or has She forsaken humanity?
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: An Ineffible Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653505
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	I Can Feel It Comin' Back Again

**Author's Note:**

> READ THE TAGS! This is a bit of a dark fic as it takes place during the Black Plague in the 14th century. There are graphic depictions of childbirth and the plague.
> 
> The song this is based off is "Lightning Crashes" by the band Live. If you haven't heard it, please find it on YouTube before reading this piece. Some of the lyrics are in the fic.
> 
> This fic goes along with my other Good Omens fic "An Ineffible Wedding," so I put them as a series together. But you don't need to have read that to read this.

It was a dark and stormy night, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Pestilence had come to Europe and the result was absolute chaos. When Crowley had said he wanted more excitement to come to the 14th century, this was not what he’d meant. The year was 1379 and Crowley was in France as there was a wedding being planned for Christine de Pisan as she was marrying a suitor from King Charles V’s court. Since these people were very close to the king himself, it was said that this was going to be as close to a proper royal wedding as one of non-noble birth could get. That also meant that it was the perfect opportunity to spread mischief. With this new plague going around, the humans needed a reason to celebrate.

What he wasn’t expecting as his horse galloped into the outskirts of Paris was to come across the area filled with rotting bodies. The muddy streets were filled with people hacking and coughing up phlegm and blood. Children and the elderly had it the worst and Crowley’s heart beat frantically as he saw small children crying into their mother’s breasts as they huddled along the walls. This plague was spreading fast and Crowley could feel Her influence behind it. Why was She doing this? He had never forgiven Her for the great flood and now She was doing it again, wasn’t She? What did the children ever do to deserve a visit from Pestilence? Every large city he’d come to recently was the same. There was very little Crowley had been able to do to help the humans. He’d miracle up food and water, but no demonic miracle could cure this new disease. Even if he were able to, he’d risk Hell finding out and have his head. 

Crowley found an inn and tied up his horse before taking a moment to watch as physicians in those new weird plague masks were running back and forth between homes and businesses. Suddenly he saw a head full of white-blonde curls run past quickly into the crowded inn while carrying a large bowl full of water and towels under one arm. Of course the angel would be here amongst the common folk. The wind and rain were picking up harder and flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. Crowley decided to go in and see if there was anything he could do to help Aziraphale. He may not be able to help these poor people directly, but at least he could lend a hand the human way. 

The inside of the inn wasn’t much better than the street outside. The people were filthy and the beds were full. Coughing and crying could be heard from every room in the inn, but Crowley did his best to focus. As he caught up to Aziraphale upstairs, he lightly touched the angel’s arm. “Aziraphale…”

The angel turned around quickly and Crowley could see that she was dressed as one of the nurses or midwives of the royal court. Her eyes were wide and so very blue as she noticed it was Crowley who got her attention. “Oh, my dear! I’m afraid I don’t have the time to catch up right now. As you can see, there are many sick people who need my attention.”

“Let me help, Angel,” replied Crowley as he took the bowl and used a minor miracle to get the water nice and hot, “What room are you going to?”

Aziraphale tilted her head quizzically at Crowley’s face as if checking to see if this was some sort of trick. Crowley stood still holding the bowl while the angel looked him up and down. He could tell Aziraphale wanted to ask why would you help the humans? but was kind enough not to say so out loud. Instead her lips went up into a soft smile and said, “This way,” before heading into the door on the left.

Inside this room were as many makeshift cots as the inn was able to stuff in order to accommodate all of the sick people it could. People of every age and status were piled around the room groaning, coughing, hacking, crying, and sniffling. Crowley’s heart beat frantically once again at seeing all of the children either sick or begging for their parent or guardian not to die. Every single person was covered in black patches and you could tell who wasn’t going to make it to dawn. One such elderly woman was in the far corner with each of her hands being clasped by two small children. The eldest couldn’t be older than 9 and the other looked to be about 4. The 9-year-old girl was reciting the Lord’s Prayer in French over their clasped hands as Aziraphale kneeled down beside them. She removed the old towel from the old woman’s forehead to feel her temperature. Whatever it was, the angel’s face showed that it wasn’t good. Crowley set the still-steaming bowel next to the angel’s knees before taking a fresh towel to wipe the sweat and grime from the old woman’s face. It wouldn’t be long before Death claimed her.

“Angel, what are we going to do for all these people? Can’t you cure this?” Crowley asked desperately. 

Aziraphale shook her head sadly as tears fell down her pale cheeks, “There’s very little I can do, Crowley. The Almighty authorized this and all of my abilities won’t allow me to get rid of it. I stepped away from the palace library with all of the medical books I could obtain, but human history has never seen anything like it. We don’t know how Pestilence came up with this or how it’s spreading. King Charles is providing all of the resources he can for research, towels, food, clothing, and beds… but this is spreading much too fast to keep up with. I don’t know what to do!” At this she started sobbing and Crowley picked up the rest of the towels and hot water before leading Aziraphale down the hall. The kids didn’t need to see their grandmother’s nurse break down. They had enough on their plate.

Putting the bowl and towels down far enough that the water wouldn’t spill, Crowley made sure he could sense no angels or demons nearby and pulled Aziraphale into a hug. The angel sobbed harder into Crowley’s frock. “Crowley… why would She do this?”

Crowley could only shake his head against the angel’s curls and hold her tighter. He had no answers to give. But he wasn’t about to rant about his thoughts of Her and Heaven now when the angel he adored needed him to be her rock. He tilted Aziraphale’s chin up to lightly kiss her forehead and under each eye and did what he could to make reassuring sounds. At any other time they wouldn’t dare to show this kind of affection for each other, but Crowley couldn’t care about that right now.

#####  _The angel opens her eyes, the confusion sets in_

#####  _Before the doctor can even close the door_

Just as he was about to suggest they visit another patient, the door next to them opened and a physician stepped out. “Nurse! Oh praise the Lord you are here!”

The angel opened her eyes and wiped away what tears Crowley’s lips had missed. “What is it, doctor?” she asked and rushed in before the physician could close the door. Crowley followed Aziraphale in and they both froze. There on one of the few real beds was a young pregnant woman crying. There was blood everywhere and Crowley could tell something wasn’t right. As they got closer, both the angel and the demon could plainly see why. The placenta had detached and come out before the baby. The cord ran from the placenta on the floor to inside the woman, where it Crowley could only assume the baby still resided. Crowley hadn’t seen many live human births, but he knew that’s not the way it was supposed to go. Aziraphale looked frantically at the physician before demanding, “What happened here?”

The human hurriedly took off the plague mask before saying, “I think the baby is turned the wrong way. She started having the urge to push and it should have gone fine. But the placenta came out first and the baby isn’t budging.”

Crowley watched as Aziraphale composed herself and got to work. “Crowley, my dear! Fetch that bowl of water and the rags. We need to get as much of this blood cleaned up as possible!” Crowley didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly ran back to the hallway and grabbed the bowl and towels before setting them down next to Aziraphale. “Okay, dear. You’re more fluent in French than I am. I need you to talk to the mother and calm her down. We are going to get this baby out.”

Oh, Crowley couldn’t do this. What was he supposed to say? But the woman was still crying and they needed to make sure she wasn’t going to faint on them. Her and the baby’s chances of survival were slipping rapidly. Yet he had to lie to her and tell her everything would be alright. The husband looked to be as young as the woman and this was obviously their first child. What a horrible way to experience your first birth.

“Crowley! Just translate what I’m saying, please!” Oh… yeah. He could do that.

He got closer to the head of the bed just as another flash of lightning struck outside the window, lighting up the woman’s tear-streaked face. The young mother’s eyes were pleading as she asked in French, “What is it? What’s happening? Why don’t I hear the baby crying?”

“Angel, she wants to know why she can’t hear the baby,” Crowley said.

“Tell her the truth, dear. Tell her the baby hasn’t come out yet.”

Crowley gave the information to the young couple in French and did his best to inform them that he and Aziraphale would do everything they could to get the baby out. He pushed the image of the blood at the foot of the bed from his mind and concentrated on what they were going to do. “What’s the plan, Angel?”

Aziraphale took a deep breath. “I used what magic I could to feel what’s wrong with the baby. The heart is still beating, but won’t be for much longer if we don’t get it out now. From what I can tell the cervix hasn’t dilated enough for the head and shoulders to push through. But with the placenta already out we don’t have time to perform surgery. This is going to be extremely painful for her. I need you to hold her down as I go up there manually and shift the baby.”

“You don’t mean…” Crowley started and made wild gestures with his hands even he wasn’t sure made sense. She couldn’t possibly mean she was going to stick her hands _up there?_

“Yes, Crowley! Now please inform them so we can get this done!”

Snapping back to it, Crowley relayed the message to the crying couple. He went over to the woman’s other side, ready to hold her shoulders in place. He couldn’t imagine the pain the woman must be feeling right now. He used a miracle to ease some of the pain, but he knew it wouldn’t last very long.

“Okay… here we go,” said Aziraphale as she plunged her hand deeper into the woman just as the next contraction hit. Just in time, Crowley was able to push the mother down by the shoulders as her scream pierced the room. “Tell her to push, Crowley!” The husband, still holding his wife’s hand in one of his, used his other arm to help Crowley hold her down. After less than a minute it was over, but there still wasn’t any newborn crying being heard from where Crowley was standing. “Oh, dear. Crowley, I can’t get the little one to twist. Maybe your fingers can help?”

Crowley’s head flipped up to look at Aziraphale so fast he was surprised he didn’t break his neck. “What, me?”

Aziraphale rolled her blue eyes and shouted, “Yes, you! Get down here!”

Crowley came back down to the foot of the bed and took Aziraphale’s spot. Of course there was more blood. If this didn’t finish soon, this mother was going to bleed out. But he wouldn’t be able to stop the bleeding until the baby was safely out. Okay. He had this. It was no different than the times he had assisted farmers with their cattle births. He reached up as softly as he could and he could feel the problem. That push was able to get the head past the cervix, but the shoulder was still stuck on the woman’s pelvic bone. He was able to get a firm grasp on each side. “Hold her down!” he yelled to the husband and Aziraphale. Sure enough, the next contraction came and the woman screamed again. Crowley used that opportunity to rotate the baby so it was facing the floor and the shoulder dislodged from the pelvic bone. But would it be enough? He could no longer sense a heartbeat. 

#####  _Lightning crashes, a new mother cries_

#####  _The moment she’s been waiting for_

Just then the door opened and the physician strode over to Aziraphale. “Madam, we need you!”

But Crowley was having none of it. The other patients would have to wait. He needed Aziraphale with him and they needed to get this baby out or they would lose both of them. “Not now!” he yelled to the physician and let his demonic energy scare the man away. Blinking tears from his eyes, he told himself to focus. It wasn’t over yet. There was little he could do for the others, but he wasn’t about to let this child and mother die when he could still do something. He waited until he knew that another contraction would hit. This one went smoother as the young lady was able to push easier now. It took a few more contractions with Aziraphale and the husband encouraging her on before Crowley was able to feel the baby move. One more push would do it…

He quickly grabbed a towel and placed it over his lap right before the baby was pushed out. He grabbed the newborn quickly in the towel and handed it off to Aziraphale as the angel came around to him. The face of the infant looked blue. Were they supposed to look blue? But he didn’t have time to ask before the angel whisked the little one away. The angel would take care of that, but this woman was still bleeding. Looking up at the woman’s face, she was even more pale than when they’d first entered the room. The husband was openly crying now as he hovered over his wife’s face and begged her to stay with him.

Aziraphale confirmed his fears anyway. “It’s not breathing!” she cried before taking the infant into the corner of the room. Crowley looked back down at the job in front of him. He used his magic to reach out inside the mother for any tears. He could see Aziraphale trying to push air into the infant’s lungs and shut his eyes as he concentrated. He felt the force of angelic magic as Aziraphale sat with her hands around the infant’s chest and prayed. Meanwhile Crowley was still searching for the tear.

 _There!_ At last his magic was able to find the large tear where the placenta had been attached in the uterus. Pushing all of the energy he had left into the wound, Crowley could feel the tear begin to heal. After a few seconds of channeling, he finally felt the wound close completely and looked up to find that his power had put the woman to sleep in the process. Good. The husband was looking between his wife and child frantically, not sure which he should focus on. Crowley snapped his fingers to get the man’s attention. “She’s going to be fine,” he told the man, “She’s resting now. Stay with her while I check on your child.”

Crowley got up from the floor and walked on stiff legs over to Aziraphale, who was still praying. A soft blue light was glowing between her hands and Crowley watched with bated breath as he got down to his knees next to her. The infant was so tiny. Crowley closed his eyes and silently sent his own prayer to Her. _Please, God. Give Aziraphale this win. She needs it right now. She needs to know You’re still there. If you won’t do it for me, do it for the one who is still wholly devoted to You._

#####  _Oh, now I feel it comin’ back again_

#####  _Like a rollin’ thunder chasing the wind_

#####  _Forces pullin’ from the center of the earth again_

#####  _I can feel it_

As the mother was now asleep, the only sound that could be heard in the room was Aziraphale’s whispered prayer in Latin as she recited it over and over like a mantra. The force steadily became stronger as Aziraphale’s power continued to flow into the infant. With each recitation, the power continued to build. Crowley felt it burning his unholy skin, but it didn’t matter. He would stay by Aziraphale’s side. Eventually the blue light became so bright that Crowley could see it though his eyes were still closed. His supernatural senses could see the holy light that surrounded Aziraphale in a blue circle.

_Please, God._

_Let this work._

_Don’t give up on this child yet._

_Don’t let this mother’s trauma be in vain._

It was a good thing that Crowley’s corporeal form didn’t need to breathe, as he couldn’t be bothered to stop his own recitation now.

#####  _The angel opens her eyes, pale blue colored eyes_

#####  _Presents the circle, and puts the glory out to hide, hide_

Suddenly the power stopped and the light slowly dimmed. Crowley risked opening his eyes and saw that Aziraphale’s were even more blue than usual with a slight glow still behind them. They took a deep breath together as their eyes met. Crowley wanted to ask whether it had worked but couldn’t bring himself to disturb the silence. Instead he put his hands on top of hers around the infant’s chest. They continued to stare at one another as Aziraphale’s fingers twisted into his.

Then they felt it. _Ba-dum… ba-dum… ba-dum…_ and the slight rise and fall of the tiny chest. Aziraphale’s eyes went wide as a smile that would put any celestial host to shame spread across her face. She scooped the little bundle back into her arms and brought it up to her face as happy tears streamed down her face. Crowley felt his own tears in response as he wrapped his arms around the angel. They did it.

They stayed like that for several minutes just basking in each other and the literal miracle of life in their arms. Finally Aziraphale’s tears slowed to a trickle as she looked up at the demon. _“Thank you, Crowley,”_ she whispered before giving him a peck on the cheek and getting up. She very carefully brought the infant to a wool blanket already set out and wrapped it up. Crowley could see that color returning to the baby’s face as it was now looking a healthy shade of red. The miracle kept the baby sleeping peacefully for the time being. Now they could check on the mother.

Crowley could see that the bleeding had stopped just fine and he took the infant from Aziraphale so he could talk to the husband. Naturally, the husband was confused by what he had witnessed but was too thankful to be holding his new child in his arms. Aziraphale took the time to clean the woman up the human way as both of them had exhausted their powers. Yet every so often Crowley could hear the angel praying, “Thank you.” They were able to gently wake the mother and tears flowed freely again as she finally got to hold her baby in her arms. Crowley turned away from the humans, but the smile on the angel’s face told him Aziraphale had seen it anyway. Aziraphale made sure the young mother was able to get the baby to latch to her breast while Crowley wrapped up the used towels. The water was now a rich red and Crowley took the time to go around the back of the inn where the water pump was. The rain was still coming down and Crowley tossed the bloody water onto the muddy soil. He took a moment to calm himself before refilling the water and using a minor miracle to heat it and clean the towels.

#####  _Lightning crashes, an old mother dies_

#####  _Her intentions fall to the floor_

#####  _The angel closes her eyes, the confusion that was hers_

#####  _Belongs now to the baby down the hall_

As he went back inside, he found Aziraphale back in the crowded room full of sick people. As he got closer he saw that his earlier assessment had been correct. The grandmother didn’t make it. Remembering the physician that had come in for Aziraphale during the birth, Crowley suspected that she must have passed on while the birth was wrapping up. Aziraphale was huddled with the children as they cried on her lap and chest. Crowley felt a whiplash of emotions. Yes, they had managed to save one infant and mother… but there were so many more they couldn’t save in this God-forsaken city.

Crowley stayed with Aziraphale for the next few days as she saved as many people as she could. Crowley provided fresh food and water as needed, but couldn’t do much else. When Aziraphale was able to take breaks, she did so pressed in Crowley’s arms as she cried out her frustrations. _“Why?”_ she would ask over and over again. Crowley still didn’t have an answer. When Aziraphale was able to properly rest and eat the items Crowley brought from the local bakery, Crowley took the time to check on the mother and newborn, as well as the local children. He discovered that the two children had already lost their parents to this plague the year before and they had traveled with their grandmother to Paris to find her help. So Crowley did everything he could to comfort the children with stories and by making them dolls.

Aziraphale, the new parents, and Crowley joined the town authorities in issuing a mass cremation for the large number of people the city lost. The children held each other closely as they watched their grandmother’s body added to the pile. That’s when he got the idea. Quickly miracling up just enough Francs, he pulled the new parents aside so that no one else would witness what he was about to do. He handed the father the small bag of Francs and pointed out the two small children he’d been looking after. “Take them in as your own,” he said to them, “Raise them and let them help you with the little one. They need parents and I’m sure your child could use a couple of older siblings.” They smiled warmly and nodded at him before going over to the children and kneeling down in front of them. Crowley couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he saw the girl wrap her arms around the mother and pet the infant’s head lovingly. The husband picked up the small boy who waved happily at Crowley.

The demon looked to his left to seeing Aziraphale beaming at him. “Shut up,” he murmured but didn’t complain as the angel slid her fingers into his and squeezed lightly.

#####  _Oh, now I feel it comin’ back again_

#####  _Like a rollin’ thunder chasing the wind_

#####  _Forces pullin’ from the center of the earth again_

#####  _I can feel it_

#####  _I can feel it_

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for this. I love the song and this idea came to my head while listening to it and doing the dishes. I made myself cry while writing this.


End file.
